Tales of Arise - Demo First Impressions
The demo for Tales of Arise recently dropped on the PSN store so I wanted to get my hands-on the next installment in the "Tales Of" series. This entry marks the 25th anniversary of the franchise.
This also comes at a time when I am playing one of the old entries in the series Tales of Xillia 2 for the Playstation 3. So it is like viewing the past meets the present which is both refreshing and exciting to compare the series and how it has changed and evolved.
So the first change upon playing the demo is the change to the Unreal Engine from the in-house engine that the franchise had been using over the last 25 years and for the most part looks the same from entry to entry from Symphonia to Xillia/Berseria/Vesperia and the entries that have preceded it.
SPOILER ALERT
Some spoilers below so if you haven't played the demo yet please skip this section until you have played it!
The skits also have changed from the traditional aspect of watching the animations/emoticons in square boxes interacting with each other in funny dialogue between characters that divulged insight into the characters, personality, and learning more about your party members and what makes them unique.
The combat is also similar to prior entries with a return from Graces F of the dodge maneuver mechanic in combat. The combat is fast, fluid, and controls have been tweaked with more enhancements using artes with the use of the D-Pad, dialogue in battle is moved to the left column in a text chat fashion instead of characters animations saying dialogue in-battle.
The menu has also moved from the D-Pad using the triangle button to using the touch-pad to access Items, Strategy, Equipment, and the traditional menus of information.
The biggest change is the graphical overhaul using the Unreal Engine which not only retains the anime look and feel of the series but adds an element of realism and a unique update to the look while retaining the feel of a Tales game.
The story also looks promising! I am looking forward to when this drops on Sept 10th. I will provide an update with a review for this game once I get my hands-on it later this month.
Until then game on my friends the Fall releases are upon us!! It's game time.
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